Money Management for Students

When you send your children to college, it's a pretty safe bet that they will have a good academic foundation. Without that, they wouldn't perform well enough to get accepted to college. What will they know about money, though? Will they be prepared to understand, evaluate and manage the variety of "money tasks" they will be faced with? Regardless of what they learn in the classroom, they will also have to manage their education expenses, student loans, monthly budgets and credit cards. Prepare yourself to help them learn those lessons by reading the information in this section.

You might legally be able to buy shots at the local bar, but you still need your parents' information when filling out the FAFSA application. The U.S. Department of Education considers a student a dependent until the age of 24, except in certain circumstances. This is important because your dependency status can affects how your Expected Family Contribution, or EFC, is calculated on the FAFSA application.

Even though retirement may seem light-years away, it is never too early to invest your finances into a retirement account. By investing in a Roth IRA, your account can generally grow without the burden of taxation. Best of all, you won’t be responsible for taxes when it is cashed in. Through investing a little each year, it is easy to accumulate a sizeable retirement account in a way that will not cause any major financial hardships.

In this standardized testing-laden portion of your life, the ACTs operate with a mysterious stigma to their name. They're offered less often, aren't required by as many colleges, and have this bizarre scoring system that seems as inexplicable as the tests themselves. But the ACTs are actually the perfect standardized-testing sidekick to the mighty SAT beast.

It goes without saying that you can apply to fifteen schools by filling out fifteen college applications, but did you know you can also apply to the same number of schools by only filling out one application? I know; it's twisted.

Subject Tests are the standardized tests you take after you've taken the SATs. They're actually part of the Scholastic Aptitude Test family, having been known as SAT IIs not long ago. Subject Tests are designed to test your knowledge and skills in particular subject areas which may not have been covered in the SATs, like Biology and Modern Hebrew.

We know what you're thinking: the letters of recommendation stage must be the easiest part of applying to college, right? All you've got to do is request a letter of approval from a teacher and have them send it to the school you're looking to attend and sit back while they sing your praises.

While some scholarships and grants are merit-based and some grants are designed for women, there are some grants that are specifically designed to help send minorities to college. There are grants for people of various ethnicities, people who've traditionally been discriminated against or who have disabilities, bisexual, lesbian, gay and transgender individuals, and mute, blind or deaf students. These grants balance out the underrepresentation of minorities at universities.

While some grants are merit-based, other grants will reward you partly for your gender. Sorry, fellas, we don't think there are any specifically for you. But, ladies, you can take advantage of the plethora of grants and scholarships that awards you for being the so-called "fairer sex."

A 2008 national survey of college therapists conducted by the American College Counseling Association (ACCA) showed that the number of students seeking mental help has significantly increased in recent years. In fact, 95% of the college therapists surveyed said more students were coming to them with serious psychological problems. Nearly one in every ten students is now utilizing campus therapists to deal with mental and emotional problems.

The Pell Grant is one of the many financial aid options provided by the federal government, and it's possibly the best known grant out there. The Pell Grant program was begun by the Department of Education way back in 1972, making it the granddaddy of federal grants.

Although you may have gotten that part-time job in order to have some extra spending money, your yearly income could still have a bearing on your financial aid eligibility. It's pretty much a given that the less you and your family earn, the more likely you'll get grants and scholarships.

Your academic transcript is the most official documentation of your academic standing that exists, though really it's just a summary of your courses and grades printed on nice paper. When you apply to colleges and universities it will be required that you submit your transcript along with the rest of your application. Submitting a report card won't suffice.

No matter what your reason for attending graduate school is, you'll have to find a way to pay for it. Many of you will remember putting together your payment plans when you applied for college, and this situation is very much the same. If coming up with the proper funds for your education is something you haven't had to handle yet, let us be your guide. We'll help you explore every nook and cranny of college funding without leading you astray.

As if traveling to a foreign country to study isn't challenging enough-you've got to learn a different language, manage travel hassles, etc. - did you know that you have to deal with tax issues, too? If you're an international student studying in the U.S., or a U.S. citizen studying abroad, we've broken down the tax rules that apply to you.

Well, the news is in, and tuition prices are up. The most recent report out of the College Board announced that the average tuition at four-year public colleges in the U.S. rose $429 to $7,020, a 6.5% increase of last year’s numbers. Private colleges experienced a similar incline, as tuitions across the country rose 4.4% to $26,273. Including room and board, the price tag associated with public schools jumps to $15,213. Private schools face an average cost of $35,636 when you factor in the costs associated with college life outside of the classroom.

If you're a student who's been involved in the fine arts throughout high school and want to continue on when you get to college, it's a certainty that you'll need to submit a portfolio for review along with your application. For serious art students these portfolios can become the breaking point in the application process. Often they can actually turn into a difficult project to manage as you simultaneously put together the rest of your application.

When you're applying for financial aid, it's not just you and your financial situation that's being considered. If you're a dependent student, which many undergraduates are, then your parents' finances will definitely come into play. Independent students can expect their entire family income and expenses to be considered when they apply for financial aid.

There comes a time in every college student's education when he or she will need some extra cash - and fast. Maybe your car breaks down or your cat gets sick. Whatever the circumstances are, there are ways to earn cash without having a part time job.

When you take out a loan, you're entering into a long term relationship with another party: the lender. Just as lenders check out their borrowers before approving a loan, you want to check out a lender's credentials before even applying for a loan.

Academics aren't the only way to a college admissions director's heart. The individuals who'll decide your fate determining whether or not you'll get accepted into a particular college value extracurricular activities almost as much as they value your GPA.

Getting a job these days isn’t easy, and it can be especially difficult when you are a full-time, or even a part-time, student. Is it possible to find a part-time job that allows you to juggle work and school? Luckily, the answer is ’yes,’ but it will take work to land a good job.

College tuition is expensive and growing more costly every year. In 2009, approximately 60 percent of students received financial aid to help pay for tuition. Financial aid allows you, as a student, the opportunity to pay for college without making payments until you graduate, with the exception of grants and scholarships. After graduation, you have a six-month grace period for Federal Stafford Loans and a nine-month grace period for Federal Perkins Loans. Even though you do not have to make payments right away, it's important to learn the facts about repayment options and interest rates, so that you won't be making payments at the same time your own kids are starting college.

There are few moments in life more special than watching your graduating high school senior read an acceptance letter from their favorite college. If the student stays with the program and earns a college degree, he or she could receive a huge financial boost. According to Education Pays, a report from the non-profit organization College Board, college grads can earn about a million dollars more than those without a bachelor's degree over a lifetime.

If you are a college student, banks and credit unions want your business. Financial institutions hope that after you graduate and begin your career, you will be a lifelong customer, so while you're in school, they will try to lure you with low fees, low minimums and convenience options.

A college education is one of the most important, but expensive, investments you can make in yourself or your child. When weighing out the options, it's hard to ignore the impressive amount you could save on tuition, room, board, and transportation by staying close to home and attending a community college. Money, of course, shouldn't be the only factor in selecting a college; the quality of education and the applicability to your long-term career goals are equally as important. While there is often a stigma associated with community college, the list below provides some benefits to attending community college that you may not have considered.